a new species of cassiduloid echinoids, pygaulus baghinensis is reported for the first time from aptian sediments of baghin area, west of kerman, iran. the diagnostic features of the species are centrally positioned of the apical disc and approximately low profile of the test. variation in gonopore size in different individuals allows to conclude that p. baghinensis is sexually dimorphic. speci...

BACKGROUND The metabolic rate of consumers is a key driver of ecosystem dynamics. On coral reefs, herbivorous echinoids consume fleshy algae, facilitating the growth of reef-building calcified organisms; however, little is known about differences among species in their metabolic and functional ecology. Here, we used log-linear (log-log) regression models to examine the allometric scaling of mas...

Abstract Time averaging of fossil assemblages determines temporal precision paleoecological and geochronological inferences. Taxonomic differences in intrinsic skeletal durability are expected to produce mismatch between co-occurring species, but the importance this effect is difficult assess due lack direct estimates time for many higher taxa. Moreover, burial below taphonomic active zone earl...